He Did This To Me

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Chrissy bolted into the room. "What happened Adrianna?" she asked. I was shaking so hard that I couldn't respond. Ella wrapped her little arms around my waist, as if to hold me up. What a sweet baby, always looking after her Mom.

I kept my eyes on the window only to see there was nothing there. 'I'm delusional.' I thought to myself as Chrissy asked me what happened.

"I...I saw someone out that window." I said pointing. I didn't want to scare Ella, but it seemed like she was the only one in the room still calm.

"I see. I think I know who it might've been. No need to get scared, it's just my groundskeeper. He does the work I can't do with Erica around."

I sighed with relief. That meant I was safe. False alarm, I convinced myself, but there was something familiar about the figure that walked by. I didn't know who or what it was, but maybe I saw him around town before.

"I'm okay. Lets go have breakfast." Chrissy nodded, not quite convinced of my wellbeing. She went to get Erica again, and me and Ella found our seats at the table. While we were sitting there, Ella didn't let her eyes fall off my face. She looked very confused as she studied my face. It was making me nervous.

"Ella, is there something wrong?" I asked slowly. Her facial expression didn't change.

"I don't know Mom, is there?"

I sat there with my jaw hanging open. The way she said it scared me. It was filled with anger, something I had never seen from her before.

Just then Chrissy entered the room with Erica. She sat her in the booster seat and Chrissy sat down in the seat next to her. We divvied up the food evenly among me and her and gave Ella and Erica the rest. But I wasn't hungry anymore.

"So Chrissy, who's your groundskeeper?" I asked. I wanted to keep everyone talking so I didn't have to think about howElla was acting.

"Well, you know him." she said finishing her mouth full of food. When she swallowed, she continued. "It's Colton."

I dropped my fork. Colton was Brayden's best friend back when we were kids. He was my friend too, but I never expected to see him again.

"Yeah, I know him..." I also used to have the biggest crush on him before I started dating Brayden. Colton was super cute with short, messy black hair and dark, deep blue eyes.

We didn't talk through the rest of the meal. I was too busy thinking. When we finished, I washed the dishes and took Ella out to the barn. I needed to get fresh air, and I was pretty sure Ella did too.

We sat on the hay stack for about ten minutes in silence, then, Ella spoke. "I'm really sorry Mommy. I just don't know what's happening anymore."

I nodded. "You and me both, baby. You and me both." she hugged my side. Stress was getting the best of both of us.

*****

I sat with Ella for awhile before she asked about the horses. "Can I pet one?" she asked.

I was hesitant. I never did good with horses, I was scared of them and I wasn't going to let Ella go up to it alone. "I don't know..."

The door to the barn swung open and Colton marched in with a stallion. He was whistling and patting the horses neck as he guided it along. He must've sensed someone watching him because he stopped and flew his head in our direction.

"I wasn't expecting anyone to be in here... does Chrissy know?" he asked cautiously. He eyed me carefully.

"Yeah, I'm living with her at the moment. Colton, it's me, Adrianna." I said boldly. Maybe I shouldn't have told him who it was.